POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'The sea beaker' cup designed by Richard Yorke Gleadowe

Object No. 98/102/1

This sterling silver cup, 'The sea beaker', was designed by Richard Yorke Gleadowe, engraved by George Taylor Friend and made in London by Henry G. Murphy between 1933 and 1934. In Britain, some silversmith firms employed trained freelance designers. While British silverware of the period was restrained, some objects by leading designers and makers showed wonderful flair. During the first part of the twentieth century, companies in Europe and the USA increasingly engaged trained designers to produce everything from electrical appliances to decorative objects. Appealing, modern designs combined with efficient production became crucial to success in a competitive market. While some designers created purely modernist objects, by the late1920s the fashionable and highly decorative Art Deco style had dominated the European market. The style was named after the 'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs' in Paris which marked its high point. Initially developed in French ateliers, Art Deco became the twentieth century's first Western mass market style.

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Summary

Object Statement

Cup, 'The sea beaker', sterling silver, designed by Richard Yorke Gleadowe, engraved by George Taylor Friend, made by Henry G Murphy, London, England, 1933-1934

Physical Description

Cylindrical sterling silver cup with a flaring and set on a moulded reeded rim. The base of the cup is encircled by a border of waves, chased in low relief. The remaider of the cup is hand-engraved with a mermaid and a mythical male creature with a dragon head, mans torso and cloven feet, realistically rendered as swimmimng in the sea. Engraved around the figures are stylised representations of underwater reeds, shoals of fish and towards the top, waves, seagulls and clouds with light breaking through. The cup is fully hallmarked.

DIMENSIONS

Height

133 mm

Diameter

112 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

The cup was designed by Richard Yorke Gleadowe CVO (1888-1944). The cup was engraved by George Taylor Friend and made by Henry G. Murphy in 1933-1934. Gleadowe worked with English silversmiths from 1929 until his death. He was awarded the CVO for his work on the Stalingrad Sword which was presented to the city of Stalingrad by the British Government in 1944. Apart from being Art Master at Winchester College and later, the Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford, he worked principally with H G Murphy, Wakeley and Wheeler and Barnards. His earlier work is characterised by a delicate pictorial style and in later pieces, by plainer surfaces with fluting and curved outlines. Friend (1882-1969) taught engraving at the Central School from the early 1900s until shortly before his death. His wide knowledge of heraldry combined with his skill as a calligrapher gave his work great authority. He was made a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths Company in 1929 and awarded an OBE in 1952. His workshop was at 9 Dyers Buildings, Holborn, EC1. The Goldsmiths Company only records three of his workmen working for him in 1948: Baker, Kavanagh and William Turner. Murphy (1884-1939) in 1933-4 was a silversmith and jeweller who studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and by 1900 was an assistant to Henry Wilson, the architect turned sculptor, metalworker and jeweller. Murphy followed Wilson to the Royal College of Art in 1909 where both were part-time teachers of metalwork. Murphy returned to the Central School as an instructor, rose to become head of Jewellery and Silversmithing Department and finally in 1937, became first silversmith to be appointed Principal of the School. He was one of the first artist-craftsmen to be made a Royal Designer for Industry. His workshop in Weymouth Street W1, at the Sign of Falcon, is commemorated in the falcon mark struck on much of his silver. He received the Freedom of the Goldsmiths Company in 1929 and by 1938 was a member of the Court od Assistants.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Purchased 1998

Acquisition Date

12 August 1998

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